FC Dallas slips past Timbers

FRISCO, Texas — Mauro Diaz scored in the 84th minute to lead unbeaten FC Dallas to a 2-1 victory over Portland Timbers on Saturday night.

The Associated Press

FRISCO, Texas — Mauro Diaz scored in the 84th minute to lead unbeaten FC Dallas to a 2-1 victory over Portland Timbers on Saturday night.

Dallas' 10 points leads Major League Soccer. Dallas (3-0-1) is off to its best start since 2006, where it also logged 10 points through the first four games.

"We've started well and we're happy," first-year Dallas coach Oscar Pareja said. "We know where we are and we don't want to think too much about what we have not done before. We're developing a culture of taking it one game at a time, without giving importance to what happened last season or what will happen. "

Portland (0-1-3), in its fourth MLS season, is off to its worst start in its young history.

The teams played the second half with 10 men apiece after Portland left back Michael Harrington and Dallas right winger Je-Vaughn Watson were ejected for an off-the-ball fight with about five minutes left in the first half. The decision ended Harrington's streak of 1,749 consecutive minutes played for Portland.

Head referee Storin Stoica told a pool reporter that the pair was ejected after Watson struck Harrington and the defender retaliated.

Dallas went ahead in the third minute of first-half stoppage time on a Blas Perez header, but the Timbers tied it in the 67th minute when Dallas defender Matt Hedges deflected a Maximiliano Urruti pass into his own net.

The Timbers outshot Dallas 15-9, including 10-5 in the second half, but it was Diaz's late effort that won the game.